1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a monitoring apparatus and a method for tape automated bonding process, and more particularly to the monitoring apparatus that can monitor if the automated bonding process is correctly complete or not.
2. Description of the Related Art
Due to the advance of electronic technology, integrated circuit devices have been applied to various electronic products. In the manufacturing process of the electronic products, the tape automated bonding technology is usually utilized to electrically connect and mount the flexible substrate and electronic elements thereon to another rigid substrate by the anisotropic conductive adhesive/film. Typically, the anisotropic conductive adhesive/film is deposited between the electrically connecting point of the electronic element or the substrate and electrically connecting point of the flexible substrate, and the electrical connection therebetween can be formed by way of pre-curing process and post-curing process.
Moreover, with the advantages of low-energy consuming, low-heat dissipation, light-weight and non-luminescence display, liquid crystal displays (LCD) have been widely used in the electronic products and even have replaced the conventional cathode-ray tube (CRT) displays. In the manufacturing of the LCD, the driving circuits and controlling circuits usually are constructed as an electronic member of the type, such as integrated circuit, and are arranged on a continuous tape of flexible substrates which will be attached to an LCD panel by means of tape automated bonding technology.
In the attaching process, the flexible substrates are constructed in the form of a tape, and automatically attached to the LCD panel. In fact, in the manufacturing process of the tape and the electronic member attaching thereon, the electronic member may fail to be correctly attached on the flexible substrate, or the flexible substrate may be detached from LCD panel before the post-curing process, and the panel will be incorrectly assembled. In practical manufacturing process, the incorrectly assembled panel is usually detected after the post-curing process, and by this time the anisotropic conductive adhesive/film has to be removed before resuming the tape automated bonding process and final bonding process, thereby causing the material waste and cost increasing.
Accordingly, there exist needs for providing a monitoring apparatus used to detect assembling condition of flexible substrate in the tape automated bonding technology so as to decrease the difficulty of re-work.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a monitoring apparatus for the tape automated bonding process to confirm whether the automated bonding process is correctly accomplished or not.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a monitoring method for the tape automated bonding process to confirm whether the automated bonding process is correctly accomplished or not.
In order to achieve the objects mentioned hereinabove, the present invention provides a monitoring apparatus for the tape automated bonding process, which is used to attach a plurality of flexible substrates constructed in the form of a tape to an edge of a rigid substrate. The monitoring apparatus comprises a sensor for sensing the variation of an optical signal and being moved along the edge of the rigid substrate so as to monitor the quantity of the flexible substrates according to the number of the variation of the optical signal.
According to an aspect of the monitoring apparatus for the tape automated bonding process of the present invention, the rigid substrate is a glass substrate of the liquid crystal display.
According to another aspect of the monitoring apparatus for the tape automated bonding process of the present invention, the flexible substrate has the electronic member such as a driving integrated circuit or a controlling integrated circuit used for driving or controlling the LCD panel.
According to still another aspect of the monitoring apparatus for the tape automated bonding process of the present invention, the flexible substrate is mounted on the rigid substrate by means of isotropic conductive adhesive/film.
Accordingly, after the tape flexible substrate is mounted on the edge of the rigid substrate, the sense can monitor that the flexible substrate is abnormally installed or the flexible substrate do not correctly have the electronic member, and in such cases the warning device is actuated to warn the operator.
Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.